The present invention relates to a device which may be used in baseball and similar games as the location marker for "home plate", the "pitching rubber" or as any "base".
Heretofore, such location indicators were, for the most part, provided in the form of a canvas bag or the like, filled with a substance such as sand to maintain them in position. Many difficulties involving storage and securement have been encountered with the use of such devices.
An attempt to solve these problems is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,558 which provides a base marker comprising a flat plate with a central opening or recess. A "plug" is removable disposed in the opening and two spikes of unequal length are carried by the plug. This structure, however, is highly complex despite its outward appearance of simplicity. For example, in order to store the base it is necessary to remove the spikes from the plug and place them in clips disposed at a position remote from the opening. The plug is then reinserted in the opening. To reassemble it, it is necessary to remove the plug from the plate, remove the spikes from the clips, assemble the spikes in the plug and reinsert the plug carrying the spikes in the recess.
The base marker is not completely satisfactory because of the possibilities of loss or damage to the individual parts during dismantling, storage and assembly.
The present invention addresses and solves these problems with a simple, inexpensive and easy to operate device.